PEORIA, AZ — Drivers on Happy Valley Road near Loop 303 are now facing new stop signs in the intersection at El Granada as Maricopa County makes safety improvements to the road.
The changes come after neighbors in the nearby communities have been concerned about dangerous driving conditions.
"People are flying — 75 miles an hour is nothing unusual," said Robin Ellis, who lives in the Rancho Cabrillo neighborhood.
During the first Operation Safe Roads report on this issue in April, a truck was caught traveling at 67 mph in the 45 mph zone, and traffic backed up as people tried to turn left on the road.
"Since you were here last, I think we've had three or four accidents. We had somebody hit the wall right around the corner here, we also had someone hit the corner on Dysart," Ellis said.
The Maricopa County Department of Transportation has installed temporary stop signs with flashing lights warning drivers of the three-way stop. The department is also adding a new lane, median, and guard rail to improve safety.
"They have flashing signs, letting people know it's a three-way stop. So that has seemed to slow things down," Ellis said.
However, these safety measures may be temporary. According to the county, the stop signs will be removed around the end of the month.
“Once construction is complete, we will launch additional traffic studies to determine if traffic conditions warrant keeping these stop signs in place while the upcoming intersection improvements are designed,” the department said in an email to Operation Safe Roads.
Community members are still hoping for traffic lights at the intersection, which have been on the county's "active projects" list for years but haven't yet been funded for construction.
Until more permanent solutions are implemented, Ellis has a simple message for drivers: "Slow down!"
If you have a road safety issue in your neighborhood, you can contact Operation Safe Roads at roads@abc15.com.
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